10th sign · 鸡
Year of the Rooster
鸡 · jī
The Rooster is observant, hardworking, and refreshingly honest — a sharp-eyed perfectionist who is up before dawn, tells it straight, and takes real pride in a job done right.
Birth years
Were you born in a Year of the Rooster?
If your birth year is below, you're a Rooster — but a January or February birthday may put you under the Monkey, since the zodiac year starts at Chinese New Year.
Personality
What the Rooster is like
Strengths
- diligent
- punctual
- resourceful
- courageous
Watch out for
- critical
- blunt
- vain
- perfectionist
Element & polarity
A Yin Metal sign
Every sign carries a fixed element from the 五行 (wǔ xíng, the five elements). The Rooster's is Metal (金 jīn), which shades its character toward the qualities that element suggests.
Its polarity is Yin (阴 yīn) — the signs alternate down the cycle, and each birth year's own element layers on top, so a Rooster born in one element's year reads differently from a Rooster born in another.
Compatibility
Who the Rooster matches
Best matches come from the harmony triangle (三合) and the six-harmony friend (六合); the classic clash (六冲) is the sign directly opposite.
Fortune
Lucky for the Rooster
Lucky numbers
5, 7, 8
Lucky colours
gold, brown, yellow
Suits careers in
manager, surgeon, soldier, restaurateur
FAQ
Rooster: common questions
- What years are the Year of the Rooster?
- Recent and upcoming Years of the Rooster are 1969, 1981, 1993, 2005, 2017, 2029, 2041. The next one is 2041. Because the zodiac year starts at Chinese New Year, a birthday in January or early February may fall under the previous sign.
- What is the Rooster's personality like?
- The Rooster is observant, hardworking, and refreshingly honest — a sharp-eyed perfectionist who is up before dawn, tells it straight, and takes real pride in a job done right. At their best they are diligent, punctual, resourceful, courageous; the flip side can be critical, blunt, vain, perfectionist. The Rooster is a Yin sign with a fixed element of Metal (金).
- Which signs are most compatible with the Rooster?
- The Rooster gets along best with the Ox, Snake, Dragon. The one classic clash (六冲) is the Rabbit, the sign sitting directly opposite in the cycle.